Chapter 628: Chapter 628: Curse
That night, the Gu family returned to the mansion. They spent hours talking, laughing, and sharing stories.
They gave Gu Jin countless pieces of advice about safety, magic, and self-care.
For the first time in years, the mansion was full of warmth.
The next morning arrived too quickly.
The sky was a clear blue and the sound of cicadas and birds chirping sounded, making the atmosphere light.
But the Gu family’s hearts were heavy as they stood outside the mansion, waiting.
A sudden gust of wind swept across the courtyard, and Lady Ling appeared as gracefully as she had promised.
Her presence once again made the atmosphere turn even more still.
Behind her were several robed mages and Long Yifan, already prepared to leave.
"Are you ready?" Lady Ling asked gently.
Gu Jin nodded. "I am."
Mrs. Gu’s eyes filled with tears as she hugged her daughter tightly.
"Please be safe," she whispered. "No matter how far you go, remember we are waiting for you."
Mr. Gu patted her shoulder with a trembling hand. "We are proud of you," he said. "Always."
Gu Jin smiled faintly. "I’ll come back stronger," she promised.
Lady Ling lifted her hand, and powerful wind magic swirled around them.
A tornado formed in the middle of the courtyard, spinning with calm, controlled force.
"Use your hoverboard," Lady Ling instructed.
Gu Jin summoned her hoverboard from her storage ring and placed it carefully into the spinning wind.
As soon as it touched the center of the tornado, she understood what Lady Ling was planning.
Without hesitation, she jumped onto the board. She used magic to make sure her feet stayed firmly attached.
The tornado, which had been only half as tall as a person, grew larger and larger.
"Goodbye!" Gu Jin shouted as the wind began to lift her into the sky.
"Take care!" Long Yifan waved with a bright smile before stepping into the tornado himself.
Lady Ling was the last to enter. With a graceful leap, she joined them at the center.
The tornado roared louder, spinning faster, and then with a burst of light, it shot upward into the sky.
The Gu family shielded their eyes as they watched their daughter rise higher and higher until she was nothing more than a tiny dot against the clouds.
Mrs. Gu wiped her tears away. "One year," she whispered. "Just one year..."
Mr. Gu wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "She’ll come back," he said firmly. "She’s Gu Jin. She always comes back."
...................................................
The journey through the sky felt like it lasted forever.
The wind howled around them as the tornado cut through clouds and light.
Gu Jin stood firm on her hoverboard as the vision blurred.
Long Yifan floated beside her.
Lady Ling stood at the center, her white robes fluttering like wings.
Finally, the tornado began to slow. The wind softened, the sky brightened, and the clouds parted to reveal something breathtaking.
Below them stretched a palace made entirely of white stone and glowing crystal.
It shone like the moon under sunlight, with towers that seemed to pierce the heavens and bridges that floated on streams of magic.
"This is..." Gu Jin’s eyes widened. "Are we staying here?"
Lady Ling smiled faintly. "This is only a passage."
As they descended, the tornado shrank and finally stopped at the palace’s main courtyard.
A large glowing portal floated at the far end, swirling with light and mist.
Lady Ling stepped forward gracefully and turned to Gu Jin.
"You can come down now," she said gently.
Gu Jin jumped off her hoverboard and landed on something soft.
She looked down in surprise, the ground beneath her feet wasn’t stone or dirt. It was soft, almost cloud-like, as if she were standing on a giant pillow.
"It feels like..." she muttered. "...a coffin made of clouds."
Lady Ling nodded calmly.
"This is a sacred landing platform. Now, we will go to the place where you will stay and train under my guidance for the next one year."
She pointed at the portal ahead. "Jump in."
Gu Jin took a deep breath and stepped toward the glowing circle.
Just as she leapt forward, Long Yifan grabbed her hand and hugged her tightly, jumping with her.
"Are you scared?" he teased softly.
"I’m not," she replied.
She didn’t usually feel fear. But now, she did feel anticipation rising in her heart.
As they disappeared into the swirling light, Lady Ling turned around.
Standing behind her were two people, the current Mighty Mage couple. Colin and Avery.
Their faces were stiff with anger and jealousy.
Lady Ling’s eyes turned cold.
"Do not show hostility toward Gu Jin," she said firmly. "If you are angry about your position being taken, then you should think about how you abused your power."
The words were like cold water. poured on them. Neither of them dared to speak.
"If you harm her in any way," Lady Ling continued, her voice sharper now, "I will make you regret ever serving under me."
The Mighty Mage couple swallowed hard and nodded silently.
"Good," Lady Ling said. "You will be sent to a different branch, Sunshine Hill. You will serve there for the next year."
The couple exchanged helpless looks but said nothing more.
As Lady Ling stepped into the portal, they watched her go, their eyes burning with hatred.
"I want to kill them both," Abery hissed once Lady Ling was gone.
"It doesn’t matter," Colin replied coldly. "When the year ends, they will no longer be under her protection. Then we will have our revenge."
Avery smirked. "Exactly."
The other side of the portal was nothing like the beautiful palace they had just seen.
Gu Jin and Long Yifan crashed onto the ground, rolling a few times before stopping.
Long Yifan groaned, taking most of the impact to shield her.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
Gu Jin nodded, brushing dust off her clothes. "I’m fine."
But as she lifted her gaze, her breath caught.
Above them stretched a sky unlike anything she had ever seen. It wasn’t blue.
It wasn’t even gray. It was covered in thousands... no, millions... of eyes.
Each one was slightly different in size and shape, but all of them stared down at her.
Their sclera were blood-red, their pupils pure black.
They blinked slowly, almost in unison, and for a moment, Gu Jin felt like the sky itself was alive.
Her body froze. She couldn’t speak, couldn’t even move.
"Gu Jin?" Long Yifan frowned, noticing her strange reaction. "What’s wrong?"
She raised a trembling finger and pointed upward.
He followed her gaze....and his face turned grim. "What is that?"
It was a disturbing sight. The eyes weren’t floating separately.
They were fused together, like a single, monstrous organism covering the heavens.
It felt wrong, unnatural, like they were trapped inside the body of a giant creature.
If someone had trypophobia, they would have screamed.
Gu Jin forced herself to look away and glanced around. The land was no better.
Everything was black and lifeless. The ground was cracked like dry skin, with glowing rivers of lava oozing through the gaps.
The air was thick and hot, and every breath burned her lungs.
"Where... are we?" she whispered.
A sudden gust of wind swept past them, and Lady Ling appeared, landing lightly on the scorched ground.
She smiled at their terrified faces. "This," she said calmly, "is just the beginning. You must get used to it."
Gu Jin pointed at the horrifying sky. "Are they... alive?" she asked hesitantly.
Lady Ling chuckled softly. "No. They are not alive. Those are curses."
"Curses?" Long Yifan repeated, confused. "What do you mean?"
Lady Ling walked forward and gestured at the ground beneath their feet.
"The Mage World is protected by powerful forces, but it is also constantly attacked by the remains of old magic, the hatred, anger, and evil left behind by ancient wars. Those curses gather here, taking strange and terrifying forms."
"So they’re not monsters?" Gu Jin asked.
"No," Lady Ling said. "But they are just as dangerous. A single misstep here could consume your soul."
The two of them stared silently at the sky again.
The eyes seemed to twitch and shift, almost like they were watching Gu Jin more closely.
"What is your duty exactly?" Gu Jin asked, still trying to understand.
"People say you are the guardian of the mage world. But what does that mean?"
Lady Ling turned to face them fully, her expression serious now.
"I am the wall that stands between the God of Magic and this cursed realm. My duty is to purify, control, and seal away the darkness that tries to consume our world. In simpler words, I protect the god of the mage world from these curses that are threatening to take over the world."
Gu Jin stared at the eyes and for some reason, she had a strong feeling in her heart... as if the ... she knew what type of curse it was and... how to end it.
Strange.